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You are here: Home / Give Me a Damned Break

Give Me a Damned Break

by John Cole|  May 7, 20059:09 am| 28 Comments

This post is in: Outrage

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Via the Poorman, I see this 1996 Slate hit piece on David Hackworth, which includes this quote:

It is a part–the self-regarding, self-parodying military macho man–that might have been modeled on former Col. David Hackworth, not unlike the part he’s written for himself as America’s ballsiest war reporter, “the hot shit dude who tells it like it is.” Hackworth is the type known as a legend in his own mind.

The people who wrote this need to be taken to a public square, put in stocks, and publicly horse-whipped. A decent society would break their fingers so they could never write or type again. Just to recap Hackworth’s service to this country, say this out loud to yourself:

Ten Silver Stars
Eight Purple Hearts
Seven Bronze Stars for Heroism

Now say this to yourself:

“Hackworth is the type known as a legend in his own mind.”

Assholes.

I don’t care if the authors disagreed with Hackworth on issues. Fine. But David Hackworth earned the right to say whatever the fuck he wants without being smeared like this by a bunch of punks.

Sorry for the language.

Did I mention six years in Vietnam?

And no, I give nary a shit that he thought the RatherGate memos were real, so stop emailing me. He was wrong. BFD.

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Reader Interactions

28Comments

  1. 1.

    Dave Schuler

    May 7, 2005 at 9:23 am

    Add the Good Conduct Medal. As I pointed out on my blog the other day it’s highly telling: only available to enlisted personnel.

  2. 2.

    Bob Munck

    May 7, 2005 at 9:32 am

    Seems to me that quite a few right wingnuts were downplaying the value of silver stars, bronze stars, and purple hearts just a few months ago.

  3. 3.

    JKC

    May 7, 2005 at 9:43 am

    No apologies necessary, John.

  4. 4.

    Christie S.

    May 7, 2005 at 10:38 am

    IMO, only people who have slogged thru as much crap as Hack did have to *right* to denigrate him like this.

    Chickenhawks need not apply. If you weren’t sporting a weapon thru the mud and muck of what…4 wars or so…?…then STFU.

  5. 5.

    ppgaz

    May 7, 2005 at 11:07 am

    Maybe someday people will learn to respect the service of a soldier, without first having to approve of his style, or his opinions.

  6. 6.

    Rick

    May 7, 2005 at 11:19 am

    Seems to me that quite a few right wingnuts were downplaying the value of silver stars, bronze stars, and purple hearts just a few months ago.

    You remember incorrectly. The value wasn’t questioned; shoot, it was Kerry’s most touted attribute. The award process was questioned.

    Kerry signing that form 180 might really embarrass the wingnuts. The wonder is why he hasn’t done it.

    Cordially…

  7. 7.

    Paul

    May 7, 2005 at 12:15 pm

    “Seems to me that quite a few right wingnuts were downplaying the value of silver stars, bronze stars, and purple hearts just a few months ago.”

    250 of his comrades, including his ENTIRE CHAIN OF COMMAND” were downplaying the value of the medals in Johhny Fraud’s case, as well as a host of other outrages commited by that shameless self-promoting traitor.

    Three purple hearts and not one day in a hospital? Sounds about right for donk version of a “war hero”. The thought of a man like that and his “blame America first” party in charge of the nation’s security is simply horrifying. The majority of the voters seemed to thinks so too.

  8. 8.

    ppgaz

    May 7, 2005 at 12:31 pm

    Sorry, that dog won’t hunt. Purple hearts are not awarded on the basis of days in hospital. You are doing exactly what the asshole Slate writer did. You’ve denigrated every Purple heart recipient with your stupid remarks.

    If you don’t like the way the medal is awarded, perhaps you should lobby to change the rules … and retroactively collect all the medals out there that you think are undeserved.

    And that “blame America first” crap is offensive. When speech can be shut down with that kind of browbeating bullshit, then free speech is dead. I’ll criticize my country whenever I feel like it and if you don’t like it, you can go fuck yourself.

  9. 9.

    Randolph Fritz

    May 7, 2005 at 12:43 pm

    Not much further past the part you quoted is the sentence, “Let there be no doubt: David Hackworth is a war hero.” Regardless of the merits of the article, which I am not in a position to evaluate, you are quoting out of context.

  10. 10.

    John Cole

    May 7, 2005 at 12:48 pm

    So it is ok to say he is a legend in his own mind and then spend the entire article attacking him if you say “Let there be no doubt, David Hackworth is a war hero.”

  11. 11.

    Paul

    May 7, 2005 at 12:59 pm

    No, Johnny Fraud denigrated the purple heart by gaming the system to get them undeservedly, and used them to get out of serving what was the shortest stint in Viet Nam of anyone who didn’t leave on a stretcher. That’s so he could rush home to denigrate his “brothers in arms” and meet with and lobby for the enemy. That goes way beyond merely being “offensive”, which seems to be about the most egregious charge that you leftist narcissists are capable of imagining. Treason’s no big deal, but say something “offensive”!!!

    Listen asshole, the charge of the Democrat’s blaming America first can be thoroughly substantiated in both word and deed repeatedly since Viet Nam. You’re boy horse face DID EXACTLY THAT with all his VVAW activities. And don’t give that trite “dissent is the highest form of patriotism” bullshit.

    Hey you weren’t by any chance one of those pathetic morons hold up one of those “we’re sorry” signs were you? One of those who goes to Europe and laments how you

  12. 12.

    John Cole

    May 7, 2005 at 1:08 pm

    Enough about JOhn Kerry, already. I was at my breaking point with this issue during the campaign, and we don’t need to go voer this again

  13. 13.

    ppgaz

    May 7, 2005 at 1:10 pm

    First of all, nobody is “my boy”, butthead.

    Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, idiot. And assent in the face of corruption and medacity, in the name of “patriotism”, is evil and despicable AFAIC.

    You and I do not share an idea of what being an American is, buddy.

    Mine would be to both honor and respect all service, long or short, with respect to those who served, and then truly honor that service by exercising the rights that that service was given to protect. Not to try to dismiss it with phony claims to patriotism, as you are doing.

    I say again, I will criticize the country, the government and its policies whenever and wherever I am moved to do so. I take it to benot just as a right but also a responsibility. I’ll never criticize or belittle the service of those in the armed forces, whether I agree with their politics, or like them, or not. Gay or straight, Democrat, Republican, atheist, buddhist or Christian, if they stand in harm’s way for me, they get my undying thanks.

    And you … get my contempt.

  14. 14.

    JG

    May 7, 2005 at 1:20 pm

    ‘and used them to get out of serving what was the shortest stint in Viet Nam of anyone who didn’t leave on a stretcher.’

    It was his second tour. He could’ve been home already but volunteered for a second tour.

    ‘That’s so he could rush home to denigrate his “brothers in arms” and meet with and lobby for the enemy’

    He was an anti-war activist. To stop a war that is only continuing so Nixon won’t be the first president to lose a war you speak out against the war. He was the spokesman for a group. You are the victim of a campaign to cloud the fact that Bush is the most incompetent president in modern history. Everytime oxygen was wasted screeching about Kerry being a traitor we weren’t discussing Bush’s total screwup of the Iraq war and the economy. It was a strategy and it worked perfectly.

  15. 15.

    John Cole

    May 7, 2005 at 1:28 pm

    One more Kerry mention and I close the thread. I can;t take it anymore. Talk about something that has been discussed less- like media bias, or Monica Lewinsky.

  16. 16.

    Kimmitt

    May 7, 2005 at 2:48 pm

    I fiercely retain the right to consider the writing of a man who has given tremendous service to this country to be poor and self-serving.

    Hackworth’s service should be thoroughly honored. His writing should be given an audience because of his service, then it should be subject to the same sort of criticism as the writing of any other person. Service gets you a foot in the door, not a free pass.

    That said, I have read nothing by David Hackworth in my life and therefore have no opinion on his works.

  17. 17.

    Rick

    May 7, 2005 at 2:54 pm

    Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, idiot.

    You mean I was an outstanding patriot from Jan. ’93 to Jan. 01? Gosh, all I recall is lotsa sophisticated media types telling me I was an angry white male.

    Cordially…

  18. 18.

    JPS

    May 7, 2005 at 4:41 pm

    ppgaz:

    “I’ll never criticize or belittle the service of those in the armed forces, whether I agree with their politics, or like them, or not….if they stand in harm’s way for me, they get my undying thanks.”

    Beautifully put. Amen. However, ChristieS writes, above:

    “If you weren’t sporting a weapon thru the mud and muck of what…4 wars or so…?…then STFU.”

    All right, Christie. Since you’re in the business of assessing people’s qualifications to hold their opinions, how’s this:

    Unless you have ever been a prisoner in a North Vietnamese prison camp for seven years, denied medical care when you were at the brink of death; unless you refused an early release offered in order to wreck the morale of your brother prisoners and to embarrass you, the Navy and your father; unless you’ve been tortured damned near to death in retaliation for refusing that release–then just who are you, Christie, to get angry at his critics?

    I read about Hackworth when I was a kid, and I admired the hell out of him. To this day I stand in awe of his service.

    But I’ll never forget seeing him, a guest on one of the pundit shows, talking about John McCain in a tone of pure contempt, and mocking the idea that McCain’s service was anything we should admire him for.

    I can’t link a transcript–this was sometime in late 1999 or early 2000–but I can still hear his voice, still see the sneer on his face, as he referred to “his conduct in that prison camp, which was not exactly red-hot, if you know what I mean…little matter of those papers he signed.”

    For all his heroism, for all the hell he did go through, Hackworth never did go through what McCain did. Yet there he was, belittling him for his one breakdown: a few hours of weakness and surrender, preceded and followed by years of defiant resistance.

    I’m sorry, John. The Slate article was assholish, and his heroism is indeed beyond question, but did he really earn the right to say that? Should I be horse-whipped for asking?

  19. 19.

    John Cole

    May 7, 2005 at 4:55 pm

    JPS- You are talking about this column:

    http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=18471

    Here he is defending McCain

    http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39994

    Hackworth earned the right to say whatever he wants. Period. Even if he is wrong.

  20. 20.

    Christie S.

    May 7, 2005 at 7:48 pm

    JPS, you will never hear me, AT ANY TIME, denigrate a former soldier for his or her honorable service. Whatever else this person does with his life in the civilian world is a fair target, but NEVER the military duty.

    This comes from the Great-great grandchild of a Civil War vet, the great grandchild of a WW1 vet, the grandchild of a WW2 vet, the daughter of a Korean War/Viet Nam Vet, the wife of a Gulf War 1 Vet, the Aunt of a Gulf War 2 soldier.

    Say whatever else you want, I’ve seen a lot of military in my life. And to repeat my opening statement, I will NEVER denigrate the honorable service of any serviceman or woman.

    Clear enough on the bona fides?

  21. 21.

    JPS

    May 7, 2005 at 9:05 pm

    Christie S.,

    Excuse me; I think I’ve been unclear.

    You wrote,

    “This comes from the Great-great grandchild of a Civil War vet, the great grandchild of a WW1 vet, the grandchild of a WW2 vet, the daughter of a Korean War/Viet Nam Vet, the wife of a Gulf War 1 Vet, the Aunt of a Gulf War 2 soldier.”

    May I just say: Wow.

    I did not mean in any way to question your bona fides, or suggest that you were denigrating anybody’s service. And, not that you asked, I would be just as loath to do so as you would.

    The only reason I addressed you at all is the “unless [you’ve served as spectacularly as Hackworth was] then STFU” formulation.

    Regarding his service: I couldn’t agree more. But his reporting and punditry can be criticized legitimately. I got the sense that John Cole and you would find even fair criticism offensive, if coming from an insufficiently qualified source. If I misread you I’m sorry.

    Of course, any such criticism should be levelled (in contrast to that Slate article) respectfully.

    And not right after his death, so I do regret having gotten into this. I will now STFU.

  22. 22.

    me

    May 8, 2005 at 12:46 am

    At the risk of making John mad, I just wanted to point out to the pp guy that Kerry’s first tour was not in a combat theater.

  23. 23.

    Christie S.

    May 8, 2005 at 10:29 am

    JPS, I’m sorry if I misread your comment. I do apologize.

    What I was referencing in my original STFU (lol) comment was the quote of “legend in his own mind”. That deeply offended me, as its a personal opinion of mine that someone who has seen as much action as this man has earned the right to toot his own horn, so to speak.

    His writing is fair game in my opinion. His service record is beyond reproach, again in my opinion.

    It just really pisses me off to see someone give a backhanded slap to such service. That’s really what my mini-rant was about.

  24. 24.

    Christie S.

    May 8, 2005 at 10:35 am

    sorry, JPS…left out this comment. If a man, even as decorated as Hack, denigrates the honorable service of another, then he should definitely be called on it.

    Both you and John referenced this and I thank you both.

  25. 25.

    Kimmitt

    May 8, 2005 at 11:27 am

    My reading of the article places the “legend in his own mind” comment very much with his reporting, not his service.

  26. 26.

    Christie S.

    May 8, 2005 at 11:42 am

    Kimmit, then I’ll take my own advice and STFU, myself. Amply proves to me that flying off the handle without all evidence is a stupid move. That was just an extraordinarily sore spot of mine.

  27. 27.

    JPS

    May 8, 2005 at 7:15 pm

    Christie S.:

    Thanks, and no ‘sorry’ is necessary. Speaking of flying off the handle over a sore spot, I’m pretty sure I did it myself. Think we’re more or less on the same page on this.

  28. 28.

    Kimmitt

    May 9, 2005 at 3:13 am

    There is nothing wrong with being very deferential to those who have served.

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